Montreal now has misting orange traffic cones — No, it wasn't a heat-induced fever dream

No, those orange cones that were misting Montrealers during the heat wave were not a heat-induced fever dream. The City of Montreal — well, one borough in particular — really is repurposing some of its infamous traffic symbols in order to cool down residents on particularly hot days.

There are currently seven misting cones available, designed by borough employees, which were put to work across Le Sud-Ouest during the recent heat wave.

According to Tan Shan Li, borough councillor for Le Sud-Ouest, the idea originated from the borough's public works team.

"With heat waves becoming increasingly common in Montreal, the borough was looking for an innovative solution to create more cool islands for users of the public domain. Given the large number of construction sites on our territory during the summer months, we came up with the idea of creating these playful mobile misters based on the iconic visual of the construction cone," a spokesperson for Le Sud-Ouest told MTL Blog, noting that the misting cones are specifically for use during heat waves.

"These refreshing and entertaining misters [...] are much appreciated by citizens of all ages. Daycare centres and day camps even stop by during their summer outings."

During the last heat wave, misting cones were placed around Parc de la Ferme-Brodie, Parc de l'Encan, Parc des Corroyeurs, Parc Garneau, Parc de la Traite-des-Fourrures, Station Lionel-Groulx and Parc Angrignon.

However, since the misters are mobile, Le Sud-Ouest may move them throughout the summer, depending on localized needs.

"Their locations are announced on our communication channels when they are deployed," the spokesperson said.

Misting cones have been in use in Le Sud-Ouest since the summer of 2023, according to the borough.

So, do orange traffic cones suddenly gain new appeal when they're being used to cool you off instead of signifying infuriating traffic and construction? That's up for debate.

But as Shan Li pointed out on X (formerly Twitter): Ponto, Montreal's unofficial, adorable orange traffic cone mascot, "would love to do this work!"